More than 60 representatives of stakeholders in Ireland’s future road infrastructure have gained valuable insights into sustainable construction solutions at seminars hosted by Roadstone.
‘The Road Forward’ events in Co. Cork and Co. Kildare focused on pathways to achieve the government's decarbonisation targets with keynote contributions from industry partners that included Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Engineers Ireland, ARUP and the WIRTGEN Group.
The morning think-ins were a unique opportunity for designers, engineers, contractors, local authorities, equipment manufacturers, government agencies and industry experts to explore new technologies, designs and approaches to pavement construction.
Eddie Winterlich, Senior Manager of Pavement Engineering and Technology at TII, explained how the national authority for the roads network was setting the agenda for the industry.
He said: “Our vision is to be innovative in the development of new and better solutions that we can use in the maintenance of the network. We need to help influence industry in the reduction of that carbon footprint by 50 per cent by 2030 and further on to 2050.
“Over the last 10 years, we've been working really, really closely with industry partners and we have trialled a number of new low-carbon materials on the network.”
Roadstone’s Dermot McCarthy also told participants of the company’s commitment to shaping the future of Irish road construction through low-carbon innovation, durable pavement solutions and collaborative thinking.
Showcasing the N52 Lower CO2 Road Solutions Trial in Co. Meath, the Senior Technical & Circularity Manager said: “We used all the levers available to us: 70% RAP, our mix technology, bio-binders, bespoke rejuvenator and also the use of HVO [fuel] in our plant machinery. This allowed up to 94% carbon reduction.”
Summarising the successful events, Roadstone’s Technical Solutions Manager, Thomas Burke, noted how they helped the company to stay connected with its customers.
He added: “The Road Forward enables us to gather key stakeholders from the industry, such as innovators, policy makers and industry leaders, and help develop and showcase sustainable solutions that we have to offer and that can help the industry in achieving its goals.”
